This invention relates to a dental appliance which is used for propping open the mouth to permit a dentist to have a wide field of operation, collecting debris or preventing debris from falling into the throat, removing liquid from the mouth of the patient, retraction of the tongue and illumination of the mouth cavity.
In the past, various appliances have been used to isolate or open parts of the mouth to facilitate the performance of dental services. Bite blocks and expansion forceps have been used to hold the patient's jaws open. Rubber dams have typically been used which are flexible pieces of material having holes disposed therein to permit placement down over the teeth into surface contact with the gums, so that the teeth protrude through the holes in the rubber dam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,984 discloses a removable dental appliance which props open the mouth for dental work and includes a tongue deflector and a plurality of orifices which permit the removal of saliva from the mouth when a vacuum source is applied to a saliva ejector which is coupled to the tubular frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,986 discloses a dental appliance for evacuating debris and liquid from the mouth including a semi-rigid bite block to be gripped by the teeth of the patient as well as a tongue guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,122,086 discloses a combined mouth prop, illuminator and suction tube for suctioning saliva from the mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,998,374 is an illuminated dental mouth prop with depressions to engage the teeth and saliva ejector.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,528,458 is a dental mouth prop with a transparent housing for a lamp disposed within the mouth prop.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,896 discloses a dental apparatus for illuminating the mouth cavity with an uneven gripping surface and which is partly transparent to allow illumination.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,203 discloses a mouth prop device which is provided with a tongue deflector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,745 discloses a laryngoscope with a blade of lucite which transmits light rays for visual inspection of the laryngeal region of the mouth which utilizes fiber optics for illumination.
None of these patents provide for suctioning the soft palate region of the mouth behind the dental appliance. Nor do they disclose illumination of the mouth cavity at selected sites by use of a slidably removable rod means for transmitting fiber optic light energy.
Usually the dental assistant must suction and evacuate the mouth with a hand-held suction device. The mouth illumination devices as previously disclosed are provided at a fixed location in the mouth and thus do not provide for changeable illumination of certain portions of the mouth cavity.